Nelsonblog

Happy Halloween from the Nelsons!

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Sue is visiting her family in Utah this weekend. I miss her terribly.

Here’s a pic of the newest little Nelson!

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Isn’t that just incredible?!?!

Update: I made a neat little animation of the baby’s heart beating!  Click here to see it!

Well, today was our 20 week appointment and ultrasound.  The morning started off with drinking lots of water so I would have a full bladder for the ultrasound.  I was so uncomfortable and thought I was going to explode waiting in the doctor’s lobby for 15 minutes for the ultrasound technician.  I ended up having to empty my bladder so they could see the baby better.

It was so amazing – we could see its little heart beating frantically, its stomach and bladder functioning, its arms and legs moving about and turning its head.  The baby was busy moving away from the force of the probe of the ultrasound – but I barely could feel anything.  Here this little life is so FULL of life in me and I don’t even really feel it. 

The ultrasound technician gave us good reports on everything (i.e. organs, bones, structure).  Chris took notes on everything and will post – but it all looks in place and everything is developing properly.  What a relief! 

I even saw the baby flex its fingers and wave – it brought tears to my eyes.  I think I’m still in shock about the fact that I am carrying this little life.  Just seeing it move and the hands and feet moving back and forth – was so amazing.  When we tried to get a picture of its feet it curled up and rested on its knees – like it was praying.  So amazing!  

It is confirmed – I am with child!

Just got out of the 20 week ultrasound session!

Wow it was INCREDIBLE!!

Here are the stats:

• 12 ounces 
• 7 inches long
• 160 Heartbeats per min
• Head pointing downwards
• Heart: 4 chambers
• Stomach: full
• Bladder: full
• Head: 4 cm across
• Spinal cord- long and straight
• Bones (Femur and the other one in the arm)- look good
• Umbillical cord: 3 vessels – and terminated properly into the abdomen
• It touched its toes – mobility good (boy was THAT ever neat to see)
• Five fingers each hand
• Baby was stubborn and didn’t let us get a good look at its feet to count toes, however 
• Placenta looks good as well (as good as it CAN look, I guess)

Sue swears it waved at her!  Whee!

The stats also confirmed the due date as the 12th of March.  Awesome!

Mommy stats:

• Blood pressure: 113/78 – Good
• Weight: None of your beeswax-

Next app date: Monday the 21st of November!

Wow! 
Today the baby has been making itself known to Susan- she’s been getting a lot of little cramps and pinches.
However- at one point she thought the baby kicked! Well- she wasn’t sure- so she had me hold my hand against her tummy and for a split second, I could feel a tiny little ‘bump’. I thought to myself- “was that it? Was that a kick?”. I was SO excited all of a sudden.
I eagerly waited for it to happen again- waited and waited…

We watched 3 hours of TV with my hand glued to the front of her tummy. Nothing.

Ah well. It was very exciting nonetheless!

Looking at the calendar this past week and noticed the 12th of October has come and gone.  It’s official – I have less then five months before this little life comes into the world. 

I was overwhelmed with excitement of the reality of becoming a mother – I’ve experienced a range of emotions from fear to anxiety to excitement back to fear in the last few months – but for the last few days it has all been excitement.  I am so amazed that there is a little life being shaped and molded within me and soon I will start to feel its movements. 

I am excited that I have been blessed with the opportunity to give life and then raise it together with my husband in a loving, God centered home. 

The half-way mark is just a few days away and we will be 20 weeks along!  We will be having an ultrasound on the 25th at the doc’s office and have an opportunity to see our little Nelson.  For those who are wondering if we are going to find out the gender, at this time we have elected to NOT find out.  There are only a few real surprises in life and Chris and I are looking forward to finding out in the hospital when this little guy/girl makes their first star appearance (of course, there is still time for this mom to change her mind!)

So Susan has been having increasingly vivid and complex dreams of late- they are quite entertaining to listen to.

Last nights contained the following- in no particular order:

Aliens in huge black multiayered spaceships bent on world domination
Instantaneous teleportation from Utah to California and back
Scott Bakula
Sole possesion of special telepathic powers to destroy the alien horde
Amphibian Sea Monsters
Climactic mad dash to the Catalina Observatory in the dark to broadcast her psionic attack across the heavens

I tell ya, it was pretty exciting!